Special Feature: The Many Tails Of Cochise Canine Rescue

The Many Tails Of Cochise Canine Rescue

Cochise Canine Rescue (CCR) was formally founded in 2014. Sybil Erden and her husband, co-founder Jeff Robbins, began taking in rescue dogs in 2009. Located on 5 acres, the facility is not open to the public, as many of the animal residents have had traumatic past experiences. CCR specializes in life care for senior, handicapped and special needs animals; many would have been euthanized at regional shelters throughout Arizona. The rescue currently provides hospice care for more than 40 animals, including some farm animals.

Cochise Canine Rescue is a member of ASA, the American Sanctuary Association (www.asaanimalsanctuaries.org); Erden is the Vice President and sits on ASA’s Board of Directors. The rescue is also a member of the Phoenix Animal Care Coalition, or PACC911 (www.PACC911.org), which is a group of rescue organizations whose goal is saving as many animals as possible through networking. Occasionally CCR has dogs available for adoption; most of the adoptable dogs are in foster care. Arrangements can always be made for potential forever families to meet adoptable dogs.

Although each dog has his or her own unique story, Erden shared several special stories to highlight the diverse backgrounds of the creatures in CCR’s care:

Bina was 18 months old when she arrived at CCR in midsummer 2016. The three-footed feral dog had run out of time at the Pinal county pound. A veterinarian determined that Bina’s foot was either intentionally cut off, or perhaps was lost to a steel-jawed trap. Either way, she had suffered immensely. She lived most of her life as a stray, and was so fearful when she arrived at CCR that, even with only three good legs, she climbed a fence no other animal had ever climbed and ran off. It took several days, the community keeping an eye out for her and a borrowed humane trap to get her back. Over the past year and a half, CCR’s co-founder Jeff has worked with Bina daily, getting her to trust him and Sybil. Although Bina still has fear issues and needs special care, she has become a loving member of the pack.

Bella, an eight-year-old Chihuahua also arrived in 2016. She came from the Maricopa county pound in Phoenix. She had obviously been used extensively as a breeder. Bella arrived with two major inguinal (abdominal) hernias, which veterinarians now believe may have been caused by being kicked. CCR could not find a single veterinarian in the Tucson metro area willing to attempt surgery on her hernias due to their large size. CCR found a veterinarian in Scottsdale who has performed two surgeries on Bella’s hernias over the past year and a half. The danger is that her intestines may become entangled in the herniated area, which would cause a life-threatening blockage. Currently Bella is doing very well.

Feo arrived in early 2017 from the Pinal county pound. He is a very small, elderly Chihuahua whose jaw was broken during the extraction of all his teeth. Since arriving at CCR, his entire jaw has disintegrated, leaving him with no bone in the lower portion of his mouth. Erden and Robbins developed an easy to digest “slurry” for Feo to eat, and he has gained weight. Feo is a healthy, spunky, happy, active little man who lives with three other dogs in CCR’s “The Pen.” The Pen is a large fence-enclosed area in the living room where smaller handicapped elderly dogs can feel as though they are in the middle of activity, while remaining safe from being stepped on or injured by larger, healthier dogs.

Red aka “Barkie” arrived from the Pinal county pound shortly after Feo. She is an elderly, part-Chihuahua part-who-knows-what toothless, blind little dog. She and Feo are the “pen dogs,” along with their buddies Princess and Lady Bug. CCR knows very little about Barkie’s history, but she had neglected cataracts when she arrived. CCR took her to Eye Care for Animals in Tucson. To keep her cataracts from developing into glaucoma, Barkie gets daily prescription eye drops in addition to regular visits to the specialty vet. Barkie is another active, loving little girl. She is one of four blind or sight-impaired dogs at CCR.

Monetary donations, all of which go directly to animal care, can be made through CCR’s website. Their donation wish list includes: bath-sized towels, large NylaBones (the only chew toys CCR allows), cotton rope toys (which must be cotton), and medium/large-sized dog beds.

On Cinco de Mayo (05/05/18), CCR is hosting their Second Annual Monterey Court Musical Fundraiser, featuring Johnnie and the Rumblers from 7-10PM. There is no Cover Charge for the show. Monterey Court is located at: 505 W Miracle Mile, Tucson, AZ 85705.

Please check out Cochise Canine Rescue’s extensive website for additional information. On the site, you can sign up for the group’s monthly e-newsletter, see the current listings of dogs available for adoption through CCR, find out more about volunteering as a foster home, and learn about other ways you can help support the work of this great organization.

Once you’ve checked out the website, if you are interested in volunteering as a foster home, call Erden directly at the number below.